


The Monsters Within Us

by orphan_account



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Amnesia, Case Fic, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Investigations, Light Angst, Magic, Memory Loss, Minor Original Character(s), Minor Violence, Monster Hunters, Monsters, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-05 08:25:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17915312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The world is a dangerous place. Magic and monsters exist, always posing a threat to humanity and its survival. But to the Hunter Chloe Decker, it was the strange man that washed up on the shore that proved to be the true mystery of the world.  This might just be a case that can’t, or shouldn’t, be solved.With no memories but that of his name, Lucifer Morningstar struggles to find his place in the world. But one thing is certain, there’s just something not right with him. And that terrifies him.Alternate Universe- Fantasy/Monster Hunters. New Chapters on Sundays.





	1. An Odd Case, Indeed: I

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work that I've been thinking of for a while now. I'd like to set it up as perhaps what a possible season of the show would look like if Chloe and Lucifer hunted monsters instead of solving murder cases. Chapters will be labeled as such to denote which "episode" it is part of.
> 
> New chapters on Sundays.

 

A body washing up on the shore wasn’t technically in their jurisdiction.

But with the city’s Summer Festival just a week away, the City Guard had their hands busy making sure everything was running as smoothly as possible. They didn’t have time to investigate a body when foreign diplomats were arriving in throngs throughout the past few weeks.

So the case was handed over to the Hunters Watch. All known details were on a hastily written letter, the ink smudged before it could dry properly. Chloe’s superior hadn’t known what to do with the case. But he had noticed the urgency written between the words and he had given the case to a less experienced, more expendable team. Her team. Solving a murder wasn’t necessarily in their area of expertise, but Chloe accepted the job without voicing this statement to her commander. Chloe was quick to round up Dan and Ella, barging into the barracks and rousing them from sleep before they left the Watch’s headquarters.

When the three Hunters arrived at the scene, it was only beginning to grow bright out. The sky above was a gloomy dark grey, the far off lights of the city behind them dancing against the waves ahead of them. The only other source of light were the torches Dan and Chloe were holding, their flames providing a minimal amount of warmth from the night’s wind. The sand surrounding the three Hunters was almost a pristine, smooth surface, which stretched into the ocean and disappeared into the far off horizon. The coast off of Los Angeles was usually breathtaking, but the illusion was shattered when Chloe spotted the outline of the body.

Even from where she and the others were standing, Chloe could tell it was a man. Tall, lean figure. He was laying face down, arms stretched out as if he had collapsed suddenly from crawling out of the sea, desperate for help that would not come. Gentle waves licked at his bare feet and soaked the tattered remains of his pants. If the man had worn a shirt, it was now gone, most likely swallowed by the ocean.

After a moment of taking in the scene, Chloe turned to Dan. “Who found the body?”

Dan met Chloe’s eyes and was quick to point back towards the small walkway that led to the streets of the city. Standing there awkwardly were a pair of what looked like veteran sailors; their skin turned rough and calloused from spending so much time in the sun. Despite their rough appearances, both men were visibly troubled. Well, Chloe couldn’t blame them; they did stumble upon a corpse in the dead of night.

“Two crewmen from the _Viridian Swallow_ , a cargo ship from the northeastern kingdoms.” Dan said. “From what I heard, they’ve only been in port since this past afternoon.”

“Let’s go ask them some questions.” Chloe said with a stiff nod of her head. She turned to Ella, the research expert on their team. “Go see what you can find on the body. We need to move it before the rest of the city wakes up.”

“On it, Decker.” Ella said.

Chloe handed the other woman her torch. As Ella approached the corpse, Dan and Chloe made their way towards the two sailors. The two sailors had been quick to spot their approach and turned to meet them. The younger of the two looked nervous and slightly ill, his face pale. The elder wore a grim expression, but his eyes seemed to stare off in the distance as if his mind still hadn’t recovered.

“You were the two who found the body?” Dan asked. When the two sailors only nodded in confirmation, Dan continued. “I’m Dan Espinoza, this is Chloe Decker. We’re part of Los Angeles’ Hunters Watch. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

“The Hunters Watch?” The younger sailor spoke up, confusion audible in his voice. “Was this a monster attack?”

Chloe quickly shook her head. “Not necessarily. The City Guard asked us to handle this incident on their behalf.”

“Oh. Okay. Ask your questions then.” The younger said, looking not entirely convinced that what Chloe told him was the truth.

“First we’ll need your names.” Dan said as he tucked a hand underneath the opening of his cloak. He then pulled out a small journal and some charcoal out of his pocket. “We’ll also need confirmation of which ship you’re hired on, and your captain.”

“Kurt. I’m Kurt Jonfellow.” The younger answered. He then quickly motioned to his compatriot, who still hadn’t made eye contact with Chloe and Dan. “Big guy is Donahue. He don’t speak much.”

As if to respond, Donahue grunted.

“We’ve been workin’ together for years now, on the _Viridian Swallow._ Damn good ship, that one is.” Kurt continued. “Our captain is Fitch, Roy Fitch. We jus’ came in yesterday, shipping in some cargo from the east... you don’t think we did this, right?”

“Guilty parties wouldn’t alert the authorities about their crimes.” Dan said quickly as he jotted down Kurt’s story. He shook his head to himself before looking back up at Kurt and Donahue. “No, we’re just establishing what we need to know to solve this crime.”

Chloe quickly interjected before Dan could continue. It was still too early in their investigation to rule anything out, even if they needed the sailors to trust them. “Mind telling us what you were doing out on the beach at this hour? Most people would be sleeping.”

“Well uh, as you can imagine, we’ve been out ‘ta sea for a long time, miss. It’s been weeks since we’ve been in a port, especially one as big as Los Angeles.” Kurt explained, moving his hands nonchalantly as he explained. “Donahue an’ me, we wanted to spend this first night off the ship. You can probably imagine how cramped it is in one. So we decided, ‘eh, why not try out a few of the taverns around here’. Maybe check out a brothel while we’re at it too.

“And well, the Captain don’t like it when his crew mates show up drunk as a skunk. So Donahue thought it’d be best if we walked for a bit. You know, hope that the wind and the salt of the ocean would help clear our heads.”

Now Chloe was getting a better picture in her head. She nodded to herself as she looked at the pair of sailors. She turned to her left, where she could see the outline of the harbor. Black blobs in the shape of ships and warehouses were just visible against the gloomy grey sky. Chloe couldn’t even see the lighthouse that stood proudly on a craggy rock on the other side of the harbor. Chloe then looked to her right, and she could see where the beach ended at the mouth of a stagnate river. To the far end of the river’s mouth the smooth beach disappeared and transformed into steep, rocky cliffs.

“How far have you walked? All the way from the harbor until you found the body?” Chloe asked.

At this question, Kurt turned to glance at Donahue. She was surprised to find that their gazes met for the briefest of moments. Suddenly Kurt seemed nervous again. He had trouble forming his next words.

“Well, uh… that’s. That’s the weird part, miss.” Kurt stammered, his fingers playing with the edges of his sleeves nervously. “We walked the entire beach. And that man wasn’t here when we first walked by.”

Well, that was indeed surprising. Chloe glanced at Dan and saw him raise an eyebrow in either confusion or disbelief. Dan was chewing his lip as he wrote this down. Chloe turned to look at the body again and saw that Ella was still during her preliminary work, jotting down details about the body, even making a quick sketch of its position. Chloe looked back up the beach and towards the river mouth.

“That can’t be more than a 10 minutes’ walk.” Chloe stated. “Are you sure you didn’t just miss the body the first time you went by?”

This finally caught Donahue’s attention. He grunted roughly, catching the eyes of the other three. Donahue shifted his weight as he licked his lips, suddenly unsure if he should speak up.

“He wasn’t there, miss. He just appeared there, out of thin air.” Donahue said, his voice croaky and dry. “It ain’t natural, miss.”

“It was Donahue that spotted him. I didn’t see him until he pointed him out.” Kurt further replied, backing his friend up. “You gotta trust him. Donahue don’t lie.”

Chloe thought over the sailors’ words while Dan finished taking notes. Once he was done, Dan turned towards Chloe, where he gave her a look of incredulity. At least Dan didn’t voice his expression; the sailors already seemed on edge and Chloe didn’t want to abuse the trust of their only known witnesses. Still, Chloe couldn’t help but agree with Dan.

She was a Hunter. She dealt with the Supernatural on a practically daily basis, be it monsters, magic, or cursed objects. But people don’t just pop out of nowhere. It wasn’t possible. Even the strongest of witches hadn’t developed a spell that perfected teleportation. And there were no known monsters that had that ability.

No, Chloe wanted to believe that two drunken men simply didn’t see the body the first time.

Even so, better be polite. “Thank you for your time, Kurt, Donahue. You’re free to go back to your ship, but please don’t Los Angeles; we might need to ask you more questions as our investigation continues.”

“Damn, if Fitch hears about this he’ll have our heads…” Kurt said, his voice growing fainter as the two slowly made their way back towards the harbor. Soon his words were lost completely over the crashing waves.

There was a moment of silence before Chloe heard Dan’s intake of breath, a sign that the man was about to voice his opinion.

“So, what do you think? Did someone just dump a body? Or do you think something… _otherworldly_ happened to the poor bastard?” Dan asked.

Chloe paused for a moment before answering. “I don’t know what to think yet. Let’s see what Ella’s found before we decide anything.”

The two Hunters approached Ella. The younger woman had speared the end of her torch into the wet sand a few feet away from her, using its light to help inspect the body. She was kneeling over the body, one knee in the sand as she carefully inspected it. Ella seemed lost in thought for a bit as she ran her hands over the skin. She was about to turn the body over onto its back, but stopped when she finally noticed the presence of the other Hunters. She twisted her body to nod at them before she stood up, brushing the wet sand off of her pants.

“Guys, I can already tell that this man is one giant enigma.” Ella said as a greeting. The possibility of a problem that needed solving had already put a genuine smile on her face. If there was one thing Ella liked, it was a challenge. “Maybe it was a good idea that the City Guards handed this one over to us.”

This earned Ella a puzzled glance from Chloe. “You think a monster killed this man?”

“I don’t know about ‘killed’, per say. But if I had to bet money on it, I’d say something supernatural roughed this man up. Here, take a look at his back.” Ella said as she picked up her torch.

Chloe and Dan came closer to the corpse, and Ella handed them the torch. The two leaned into the light as Ella propped the corpse over onto one shoulder. With the light, Chloe could see the raw wounds Ella was interested in. There were two large strips of skin and flesh that were completely missing from his back, at least 2 to 3 inches in width and 10 inches in length. They looked very recent, as the flesh underneath looked raw with irritation. They also looked like they would have hurt immeasurably.

At the sight of the coagulating blood, Chloe felt her stomach churn in nausea. Beside her, Dan also grew visibly sick. He turned away and tried his best not to gag. Even Ella, who usually handled any corpses they came across on assignments, looked uncomfortable at the raw gore. Fortunately, Ella dropped the man’s shoulder, letting the wounds disappear into the darkness. Ella stood back up and shared a look with Chloe and Dan.

Fortunately, Ella waited until Dan had regained control before continuing. “From what I can tell, those look like they were inflected before death. And if you ask me, either this man was an enemy of some sadistic torturer, or…”

“Or something big attacked him. Maybe something with two claws…” Chloe finished the trailing sentence. “We’ll need to do some research about sea monsters when we get back to headquarters. Did you notice anything else of importance, Ella?”

At this, Ella shook her head. “Nothing yet. Well… I mean nothing as big as the back wounds. I felt around the back of his head, and there’s a large, swollen bump hidden underneath his hair. Couldn’t find any blood, so nothing that broke skin.

“I might find more with some decent lighting. And I’m sure we’ll know more once we bring him back to get a look at his insides. Right now, I’d say cause of death would probably be from drowning, with a big contributing factor being exhaustion and pain from those wounds on his back.”

“Before we bring him back, let’s roll him over.” Dan said as he twirled a finger in a circular motion. “Let’s get a sketch of his face. Maybe while you’re looking at the body, Chloe and I can see if we can find if anyone is looking for him.”

Ella nodded her head and kneeled back down. With a grunt, Ella pushed the body on his back, a loud smack against the smooth, wet sand. Chloe stared at the man’s face, surprised to find that his eyes were closed and yet his mouth limply held open. Dark, wet curly hair seemed to grip against the man’s temples. It looked like the man had gone a few days without shaving, as there was rough stubble that covered his jaw and upper lip. He had a strong, prominent nose.

What a shame. Chloe found him quite handsome.

And it seemed so did Ella, because the young Hunter let out a soft whistle in amazement. Chloe heard Ella mutter under her breath, “Damn. Maybe someone was just jealous of that face.”

Apparently Dan heard her too, because he let out a sigh of disappointment. Ella hunched her shoulders meekly in response before uttering, “Sorry Dan.”

So far at a quick glimpse, it didn’t seem like there was any serious, life ending injuries on the man’s torso. Perhaps a few deep scratch marks against his shoulders, but not much else. Chloe kneeled down beside Ella and wiped away at the sand that covered his chest. The skin felt cold and clammy, and it sent a shiver down Chloe’s spine.

Chloe then turned her attention to the man’s hands. She grabbed his left wrist and raised it up to her face. His fingers were wrinkled, having been soaked in the water for too long. Even in the torchlight, Chloe could see a thin strip of skin lighter around the wrist than that of the hand and forearm. Whatever had been on there was long gone. Maybe some kind of jewelry or a bracer.

Chloe raised his other hand, only to spot a ring still stuck on his middle finger. Chloe frowned at the sight of it. It was simple in design, a silver band with a square black gem fashioned onto it. The only other details were the designs that fitted as the basis for the black gem. When she tried to pull it off, Chloe found that the ring would not budge.

Well, they could rule out a robbery then. If someone was desperate enough to kill during a mugging, they wouldn’t have hesitated to cut off the finger to get the ring. Even as it was, it was common enough to find dead bodies in Los Angeles with missing fingers. Especially that of young, reckless nobles that flaunted their wealth without thought.  No, there was no way this was a simple robbery that had gone wrong.

Wanting to show some respect to the body, Chloe carefully placed the right hand down on the ground. She couldn’t help but frown in frustration. You’d think that seeing bodies in this line of work would make each case easier. But sometimes, there’d be a new assignment that just rocks her to her very core. It seemed like this would be one of those for Chloe, and she sighed in weariness.

“It’s getting lighter out.” Dan observed as he stared up into the sky. He was right; the grey gloom was beginning to give way to soft pinks, especially towards the eastern horizon. “We should move the body before the public notices.”

“Agreed.” Chloe said, turning her head to look towards Dan, who was standing over her shoulder. “Dan I want you to head back to headquarters. Go see if there’s a free carriage to transport the bo—”

Just then, Chloe felt something tug at her sleeve. For a moment Chloe panicked as she snapped her head back to face the corpse. Surprisingly, her eyes met dark brown ones. They were fighting exhaustion as if his life depended on it. Chloe dropped their met gaze as she looked down at her hand, where she could see the hand she had once been holding weakly clinging to her shirt like it was a lifeline.

The not-so-dead body let out a choke, saltwater spilling from his mouth. Despite the exhaustion that was seeped into his body, the man did his best to hold his head up enough to stare into Chloe’s eyes. His voice was rough and it was clear he had trouble finding his breath.

And then.

“Hello, starlight.”

Just as quickly, the man dropped his hold on Chloe, falling back into unconsciousness.

The three Hunters only spared a few seconds before they realized what this meant. Their victim was still alive, despite all the odds.

Chloe was the first to respond. “We need to get him to a healer! Now!”

* * *

 

Time had no meaning for him. Not when he spent most of it unconscious. And the few times that he had somehow found the energy to peek into the waking world, he was met with a horrendous pain on his back. His throat felt like he had swallowed jagged rocks during an insane fit of starvation. His head swam, his thoughts nothing more than basic emotions and feelings. Anything else would have been too much effort.

He felt pain. Confusion. Fear.

His vision would be fuzzy. There would be strange shapes and colors. It would take him too long to figure out that they were people. If he stared for too long, a searing headache would form. And then, when he finally managed to hear their voices, but never really understanding their words, he would be pulled under again.

He didn’t have the capacity to count how often this happened. Some part of his rational self hoped that it would end soon.

And then it did.

When he woke up for the final time, he still felt like shit.

His body felt like it was completely made of hard lead. Even opening his eyelids felt like a chore. But when he found that his vision was perfectly clear, he took that as a small victory. Even so, he closed his eyes again, resting for a few minutes to restore energy. While he did so, he allowed himself to listen.

There was the crackling of a fireplace somewhere in the room. The fire’s soft flames almost threatened to lull him back to sleep. But he was tired of sleeping, impatient even. There was the delicate sound of someone flipping a page of a book, and it returned every few minutes. Far off in the distance he could hear voices, quiet and muffled. There were footsteps as someone walked by the room he was held in.

He heard a women let out a deep sigh. That caught his curiosity.

He forced his eyes open, and it felt like that took as much effort as running a marathon. He strained to turn his head towards his right side. And that was when he saw her, sitting there in a dark green armchair, large book laying in her lap.

His first observation was that she was completely, utterly beautiful. His second was that she seemed to lighten up the room with just her presence alone.

The woman wore a thick, dark blue coat that hugged her frame tightly. Underneath the coat, he could just barely see a layer of leather armor that rested overtop a white blouse. Around her neck hung a silver locket. She wore sturdy black pants, and he could just barely see the top of leather boots that stopped just below her knees. 

But he was more interested in her face, as she had yet to notice that he was awake. She had a strong jaw, which was hugged by wavy blonde hair. He could tell that her hair had once been tied into a braid, but had fallen apart over time. Through her eyelashes, he could see blue eyes that were skimming across the words in the book. She absentmindedly tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and he was surprised to see that the tip of her ear was slightly pointed.

Not a human then. Maybe Half-Elf? The ears were too short to be a full blooded Elf.

He sat there for a moment, just watching her read.

But of course, the moment was ruined when his breath got caught in his still raw throat. He let out a sharp, painful sounding cough, which alerted the woman that he was very much awake and alert. Immediately she closed the book, the resounding clap of the paper startling him. She set the book aside and leaned towards him, a soft smile tugging at her lips.

“Hey. Welcome back to the world of the living.” She said, and her voice was what finally grounded him into reality.

Whatever remark he had been about to respond with, it died on his lips as another coughing fit took over. Again he was reminded about the amount of pain he was in, and he grimaced. Everything hurt. He watched as the woman grew concerned. She finally stood up and reached for a small cup that was standing on the nearby end table. Carefully the woman came towards his beside and placed the cup in his hand. Immediately he brought the cup to his lips, but the water just sputtered out as he tried hopelessly to regain his breath.

“Easy, easy. Take things nice and slow now.” She whispered. “Breath in and out. In and out.”

He followed her instructions as best as he could, and eventually he regained some semblance of control over his body. The woman refilled the cup and then helped guide it to his lips. The water tasted like pure bliss. As he finished his drink, the woman pulled the cup away and set it on the nearby end table. He eyed the silver water pitcher behind the cup, hoping that she would understand his request.

Please, more water.

It seemed she did, but she shook her head nonetheless. “We need to watch your fluid intake. Healers orders, I’m afraid. If you drink too much in too short a time, you’ll throw it all up.” This earned her a frown. “Don’t look at me like that; I’m inclined to agree with the professionals.”

Despite his throat feeling like ground dust, he found the energy to speak for the first time. “Where am I?”

His voice was hoarse, the words coming out more like a whimpered growl more akin to a dying animal than that of a man. It felt even worse, and he grimaced as his throat felt like it had suddenly caught on fire. This had been a mistake.

“You’re in Lord Becket’s Infirmary for the Masses, one of Los Angeles’ most capable hospitals. The healers here are exceptional.” The woman explained. As she spoke, she gestured to the room they were in. “I’ve been by your side the entire time. You’ve been here for a week by now, and you’ve spent most of that time unconscious.”

She paused as if to let that information sink it. When he made no move or inclination to respond to this information, she sighed and continued on.

“To make this easier for you, I’m going to ask questions that you can answer yes or no to. Just nod or shake your head. Can you do that for me?” She asked.

He nodded carefully, and she responded with an encouraging smile.

“My name is Chloe Decker. I’m part of the Hunters Watch here in Los Angeles.” The woman, Chloe, said. There was a brief pause, and then. “Do you know anything about the Hunters Watch?”

He shook his head.

“That’s fine; it’s a dying occupation. Not many City-States or Kingdoms have them nowadays. The Hunters Watch is a band of professionals that are interested in protecting society from supernatural threats. This usually consists of monsters, spirit or demonic hauntings, and dangerous magics."

Again, Chloe paused to let the man take in this information. After a minute he nodded so she could continue.

“You were found a week ago on Santa Monica Beach, an inch away from death.” Chloe paused, seemingly to gauge his reaction to this information.

Well, he could believe it. Even now he felt like he was cheating death. And this was apparently a week _after_ being tended to. Still, he nodded his head for her to continue.

“Given the severity and the abnormality of your injuries, we’ve been given precedence over your case. My team and I will do everything in our power to help bring your attacker to justice.” Chloe said.

At this, she turned to the green armchair she had been in when he had awoken. Resting against one of the chair’s legs was a leather satchel, and she pulled out a small black leather bound notebook. She sat back down in the chair, propping the book open on one knee. Chloe softly bit her bottom lip before looking up from her notebook.

“I was hoping you could help us by answering a few simple questions. Do you remember anything from the night you were attacked?”

Did he remember anything? What kind of question was that? If he thought too hard about the exact color of her coat, he’d get a headache. How was he supposed to remember something so long ago? Still, he did as Chloe asked and tried his best to look back. He grimaced as the constant, dull throb from the back of his head grew in intensity.

There was nothing.

No matter how hard he tried, he remembered nothing. He caught Chloe’s gaze and shook his head slowly.

She seemed to understand, at least. “You went through a very traumatic experience. I can understand if you can’t remember any details right away.”

Chloe continued. “Are you from Los Angeles, or were you visiting the city for the Summer Festival?”

Another minute passed. He shook his head. No to both questions.

Concern finally seemed to grow within the woman. She set aside her journal and leaned forward towards him. She studied him with those blue eyes of hers. For a moment he was completely enchanted by them. Her eyes, they seemed to shine like starlight.

“Do you remember your occupation, sir?” Chloe finally asked, breaking him out of his spell.

He shook his head without pausing to think this time.

“… Do you know what your name is?”

She could see the panic growing on his face. But he couldn’t care.

Because, no. No he did not.


	2. An Odd Case, Indeed: II

 

When it became clear that the man was about to fall into a full blown panic attack, Chloe ran to the door and shouted for help. What resulted was a surge of healers, all dressed in matching pristine white healer robes, entering the room. Chloe did her best to stay out of the way, finding a spot near the back wall. She watched as the healers did their best to calm the man down. Chloe remained quiet as they did their best to restrain him before he accidentally hurt them. Or himself.

Despite still suffering from his injuries, the man had an astounding amount of strength. Chloe watched, stunned as three grown men wrestled to keep just one of his arms pressed against the bed. And they seemed to be losing the fight. The man was screaming; his words were incomprehensible just from how raw and damaged his throat was. His eyes darted around the room, never staying in the same place for more than one second. Until he saw her.

Those eyes. They were pleading for help.

It not only took the master healer to cast a powerful sleeping spell, but a heavy dosage of medication to knock the man out. It was a slow process, and Chloe watched it unfold. His movements became sluggish, his eyes glazing over before they rolled into the back of his head. Soon he was taking large gulps of air as if he was drowning again. Chloe averted her eyes, not wanting to watch this play out any longer. It was only when the professionals were adamant that the man would be unconscious until tomorrow morning that Chloe returned to the center of the action.

As a few of the healers departed the room, intent on returning to their other duties, Chloe made her way back towards the bed. She ignored the remaining healers as she kneeled down onto her knees, coming to be eye level with the unconscious man. Without thinking, she took the man’s hand in both of hers and gave it an encouraging squeeze. His skin felt hot under hers. Chloe stared at his face, remembering how just minutes ago it had been filled with hysteria, and how that had equally terrified her. Now, his expression was completely calm, as sleep seemed to be the only escape from his personal hell.

Quietly, Chloe whispered. “I’ll find whatever did this to you, I promise.”

And she wanted to believe that she could keep that promise.

Soon it was only herself, the unconscious man in front of her, and the master healer that remained in the room. When she finally noticed that the master healer seemed to be waiting for her, Chloe quickly stood up and approached him. The master healer was an aging man, who stood hunched over, and because of this was a few inches shorter than her. While his hair was hidden underneath a coif, the healer had a long white beard and a wrinkled face. His green eyes sparkled with the energy of a man twenty years younger, however.

“I do not believe we’ve had the pleasure of introductions yet, despite the fact that you’ve been a constant companion to my patient. I am Healer Bradshaw.” The healer greeted her. Healer Bradshaw then bowed to her, and Chloe politely returned it. “Are you perhaps his wife?”

Chloe wasn’t surprised by this question, and she shook her head as she answered the healer. “I’m not, but I can see how you’d assume that. I’m Chloe Decker, a member of the Hunters Watch. I’ve been assigned to his case.”

“And you’ve remained by his side his entire stay here because..?” Healer Bradshaw asked.

“Both to act as protection, as well as to ask him questions when he finally woke up. With no witnesses to his case, any information he could have provided would’ve been fundamental to bring whoever did this to justice.” Chloe explained, motioning to the man as she finished her sentence.

“I see. Did you gain the information you desire?” Healer Bradshaw asked.

Chloe didn’t answer straight away, which was enough in of itself.

No. No she did not. Chloe let out a deep sigh, knowing that the frustration she was feeling was easily readable on her face. She allowed herself to rub the tension out of her face before she returned her attention back to Healer Bradshaw.

“Healer, it seems like my victim has lost all his memories prior to the attack. I think that’s what caused his… his breakdown.” Chloe explained. “Do you know what could have caused the loss of his memories?”

Healer Bradshaw let out a low hum as he thought. He turned away from her as he made his way towards the unconscious man. Very slowly, and with delicate fingers, Healer Bradshaw sat the man up, propping the pillow at an angle to support his weight. Chloe leaned forward to watch as the healer inspected the man. Healer Bradshaw ran both hands through the man’s hair, slowly feeling his scalp. Eventually, Healer Bradshaw found the remains of the swollen bump that Ella had noticed that morning on the beach.

“Ah yes. The head wound.” Healer Bradshaw muttered, mostly to himself. He turned to Chloe, reaching for her hand and then he guided her to feel the swollen bump in question. It still felt hot and angry even after a week’s worth of healing. It must hurt terribly. “We’ve been monitoring it closely. Despite our best medicine, there’s been little to no change.”

“And this would have caused my victim to lose his memories?” Chloe prompted, finally pulling her hand away from the man’s head.

“Yes I believe so. Head wounds are always tricky to deal with. There is no one right way to treat them.” Healer Bradshaw explained.

“So when do you think he’ll regain his memories?”

Now it was Healer Bradshaw’s turn to pause.

“…It is difficult to say. He could wake up later tonight with all his memories intact. He could regain them months from now. He may only recover some of his memories, or none at all.” Healer Bradshaw said, the light of his eyes seeming to darken. He was frowning now, the seriousness of this not leaving Chloe. Healer Bradshaw held her gaze as he continued. “I’m afraid there’s nothing more I can do for him.”

“Are you kidding me?” Chloe couldn’t help but groan in disbelief.

She couldn’t believe this. Without the victim’s memories, he couldn’t disclose a statement. And without his helpful input, that placed a lot more pressure on Dan and Ella back at the Watch’s headquarters. They were ending up with too many questions that had no answers. This was suddenly turning into Palmetto all over again.

“I do not ‘kid’, young Hunter. Especially so when it comes to the patients under my care.”

And now she offended the healer. Nice going, Chloe. She sighed before speaking. “I apologize for sounding rude. I’m just frustrated, Healer Bradshaw.”

“Understandable. But you must remember what is most important about your case: the patient. He’s alive; he’s healing. And if he continues to heal at the same rate that he has been this past week, we’ll be able to discharge him in about two weeks.”

“Of course, Healer Bradshaw. I hope you know that I agree with you. His safety is most important.” Chloe said with a stiff nod. She paused as she decided her next move. Chloe then pulled out her notebook and jotted something down quickly. “Well, considering my options, I think it’s best if I head back to the Watch’s headquarters. Here’s the address if you or the victim need to contact me in the future.”

Chloe ripped the page out of the book and handed it to Healer Bradshaw. The man took it without question and put it within his robe’s pockets.

“I will be sure to keep you updated, young Hunter. Safe travels.” Healer Bradshaw said with a kind smile, showing that he held no ill will towards her.

Chloe spared the victim one last glance before leaving the room behind. She left Lord Becket’s Infirmary for the Masses without further trouble.

As Chloe stepped outside, she was met with the heat that rolled off the stone streets. The afternoon sun hung overhead; there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Chloe felt the nape of her neck start to sweat from the sweltering heat. She absentmindedly berated herself for wearing her coat today. As she made her way down the busy streets of Los Angeles, back to the Watch’s headquarters, she only paid half attention to the decorations that hung from the surrounding buildings.

Large gold and red banners hung over the main streets, signaling that the start of the Summer Festival was just around the corner. Almost every lantern post seemed to have a small basket of flowers hanging from it, attracting the occasional curious butterfly or hummingbird. Booths were beginning to be set up by the sides of the streets, and there was a dull sense of anxiety that permeated from the shopkeepers that were preparing for the big day tomorrow.

As Chloe passed through one of Los Angeles’s biggest baking districts, she was met with the sweet aroma of cinnamon and vanilla. Her mind instantly wandered to thoughts of her daughter. If she had time tomorrow, Chloe ought to bring Trixie out to the festival. Maybe she could even convince Dan to come with them. They deserved a little bit of family bonding time after everything that’s happened this past year.

Chloe let those thoughts occupy her mind as she finally returned to the Watch’s headquarters. The building complex that now housed the Hunters Watch headquarters was once a monastery for the Old Faith. It had been abandoned long before Chloe’s time, over 4 centuries ago when the Old Faith had fallen out of favor. It sat in the heart of Los Angeles, neglected save for squatters and criminals. That is, until 8 years ago, when the old Watch’s headquarters had burnt to the ground after a devastating wildfire.

Now, Hunters used the monastery for their research, preparation for hunts, and disposal of dangerous remains and artifacts. Some even considered the monastery their permanent home, as many have claimed small rooms in the barracks as their own. The cathedral, the cloister, the expansive and ever growing library, even the old barn which had been modified for the magically inclined to practice their talents in… everything here was theirs.

As Chloe entered the premises, she went straight to the library. First on her priority was finding her teammates to update them on the troubling turn of events. Ella was usually the easiest to find, as Chloe always found the younger woman hunched over a book or two, deep in research. Dan… well, Dan was always in the last place Chloe looked.

Chloe quickly made her way through the cloister, cutting through the open garden and towards the library. As Chloe opened the large, heavy wooden doors leading into the library, she heard the sounds of a couple nearby Hunters speaking in hushed words. She paused for a second just to glance at them, only to see that she was the topic of their discussion. They stopped only to stare at her, their eyes unkind. She did her best not to glare back at them before slamming the door behind her.

The door slamming resonated throughout the entire library. Those who were currently studying or researching for an assignment looked up to see what the sudden source of the deafening noise was. Chloe ignored their stares as she slowly made her way to the back of the library, the heels of her boots clicking against the stone floor. Ahead of her, the reflections of the stained glass windows shone against the floor. The colored lights shone distorted, winged figures of the Old Faith, and they acted as a path towards the back of the library.

Eventually Chloe found Ella in her favorite spot. Ever since Ella moved to the Hunters Watch division in Los Angeles, she had claimed the far corner of the library as her own personal study. Without asking permission from their superiors, Ella had moved two desks to sit perpendicular of one another to create as much workspace as possible. On one table were several stacks of books, some opened to whichever page Ella stopped at. On the other table were several lit candles as well as Ella’s personal journal, which at this point was barely held together from overuse, and at least 4 dirty food bowls.

It looked like Ella had been working throughout the entire week. It wouldn’t surprise Chloe if Ella had slept here too.

Ella heard Chloe approach, and she greeted the older Hunter with a warm smile.

“Hey, Chlo. How’s are vic doing?” Ella asked as she turned away from her book.

For once, Chloe was glad she didn’t have to put on a brave face around Ella. She didn’t answer right away, instead allowing her satchel to drop from her shoulder, and it let out a loud thump as it landed on the floor. Chloe made her way over towards one of the desks and leaned against it. She let out a frustrated groan as she brought a hand up and rubbed her forehead. Chloe hadn’t realized that she had gotten a headache from today’s turn of events.

“Where should I start? The part where he doesn’t remember a damn thing? Or that when he realized he lost all his memories, he had to be sedated before he hurt himself further?” Chloe groaned.

Ella hesitated before saying, “Yeesh. Sounds like it’s been a tough day for all of us then.”

That sounded like the beginning of even more bad news. Chloe gave Ella an exasperated look. Chloe sarcastically asked, “Do I even want to ask, Ella?”

“Well… you’re not going to like it but…” Ella started. And then she was hesitating. She started fidgeting in place. She ran her fingers over her knuckles while she softly bit her bottom lip. Finally, Ella let out a reluctant sigh. “Okay. I’m just going to say it. Dan’s been ordered off the case.”

“Wait, what?!” Chloe yelped, her head snapping towards Ella. Her sudden outburst earned her a few angry hushes from somewhere in the library.

“Hey, it wasn’t his choice! Don’t get too angry at him.” Ella explained. “The Commander said he was needed at Las Vegas. The division there called for a _lot_ of reinforcements. Something to do with a Sand Worm infestation in the desert to the east…”

Las Vegas. That was at least a 3 days journey on horseback. “How long has he been gone?”

“… 4 days?” Ella meekly answered.

So Dan wouldn’t be back for at least another week. This was great, just great.

“At least tell me you’ve got something related to the assignment.” Chloe said as she massaged her temples.

When there was nothing but silence as a reply, Chloe let out yet another frustrated groan. Ella looked guilty, but Chloe couldn’t blame the young woman. It was clear that she had been hard at work this past week. It wasn’t her fault that this assignment seemed to do everything in its power to stop them from solving it.

Chloe’s nerves were suddenly getting the better of her. She couldn’t sit still, and she pushed off the desk. Chloe began to pace as she let a hand run through her messy hair. She couldn’t help but inwardly laugh when she realized that _she_ was now the one on the verge of a panic attack.

Chloe started listing all the problems out loud. She did this mostly for herself, as it was a small attempt to calm herself down. But she needed Ella to understand the situation that they were in.

“Okay. So we have no monster. No assailant. A victim with holes large enough in his memory to be Swiss cheese. A crime scene that was _literally_ swept away by the ocean!” Chloe could hear her volume rising, and stopped momentarily. She tried her best to collect herself before she further angered the other Hunters in the library. “We’re down a man, and I have to give the Commander an update by the end of the week! …How could this get any worse?”

“Aw, cheer up Chloe. It can’t be _that_ bad.” Ella said, nudging Chloe with her elbow sympathetically.

Oh, how Chloe wanted to believe that. “Ella. I am literally one strike away from being dismissed from the Watch. If I make one bad call… or let’s say, hypothetically, I can’t solve a simple murder attempt, I’m gone.”

It was then that it hit her.

Chloe swore out loud as the anger inside her bubbled up. Of _fucking_ course. How had she not seen this earlier? The Commander had known that this was a dead case the moment he received that letter. And then he gave Chloe this crappy assignment that not even the City Guards wanted. But on paper, a crappy assignment was still an assignment. And if she couldn’t solve it, it would be the last in a short, but disastrous line of cases that marked her performance history.

Chloe knew that the Hunters Watch wanted her gone. But this… this was low.

Softly, Chloe muttered in partial disbelief, “I was given this case on purpose.”

It didn’t take long for Ella to understand Chloe’s train of thought. Still, the younger Hunter shook her head in disagreement. Ella came by her side and quickly enveloped her into a tight hug. Chloe paused only briefly before wrapping her own arms around Ella. It felt nice. Chloe didn’t know how much she needed this.

And when Ella finally pulled away, she grabbed Chloe’s hands and gave them a soft squeeze to encourage her.

“Chloe. You can’t afford to think like this. You’re a good woman. And everyone knows that.” Ella said.

“You weren’t here when Palmetto happened, Ella.”

“No. I wasn’t. But you know that if I had been, I would’ve had your back. And not just because you’re technically my boss. But because I trust you.”

“Thanks Ella. That means a lot to me.” Chloe said. And she meant it. Not even Dan had told her that, and they had been married once. “But, we’re still stuck with this mess. And unless you can somehow miraculously find the monster that hurt our victim, we’re done here.”

Ella was quiet for a second. And then there was a spark in her warm eyes. The younger Hunter grinned as she motioned for Chloe to wait there. She had apparently caught an idea. Ella went by the tower of books on her desk and quickly flipped through them. Chloe became curious, and she went to stand behind Ella’s shoulder, looking over her to see what Ella was searching for.

Ella flipped through the pages as she muttered to herself. Her words were scrambled together and Chloe couldn’t quite catch them. But when Ella turned to look at Chloe again, her grin only grew in confidence.

“I might just have a solution to our problem.” Ella said through her grin.

Chloe couldn’t help but smile along with her. “What, did you suddenly figure something out?”

“Well… not exactly. But it’ll give us some time.” Ella said.

Ella finally found the page she had been looking for. She stepped aside and presented the book to Chloe. Chloe bent over the book and squinted at the faded calligraphic text. She flipped the page over, only to spot an etching of the monster in question. The figure was that of a woman, with long flowing dark hair and unnaturally large eyes. She had webbed fingers and instead of legs, she had a long fish tail similar to that of a shark.

Chloe frowned and flipped back over to the first page. _Signs of a Siren Attack._

Chloe shook her head slowly. “Ella, I don’t think it was a Siren that attacked our guy.”

“And I agree with you. If it had been a Siren, there would be 4 gashes in his back instead of 2. And they would be deeper instead of wider.”

“I don’t see how this is in any way helpful, Ella.”

“Just give me a second Chloe. I got this. Our guy was found at the shore. That means our prime suspect is a monster found in the ocean. Sirens _technically_ fit our MO.” Ella explained. “Let’s just pretend for a bit. Let’s say our victim is a… a fisherman, or a sailor. He heard the Siren’s call, and jumped overboard. They tried to kill him but somehow he miraculously got away. He almost drowned on his way to the shore, but we found him in time to save him. Ta da!”

And there Ella stood, holding her hands palms out, shaking them as if to demand applause. When she saw that Chloe still wasn’t completely on board with her plan, she dropped her shoulders and sighed.

“Okay, I know it’s not perfect.” Ella reluctantly admitted. “It may be less than substantial evidence. But what can the Commander do? Ask us to go hunting for Sirens? That’s virtually impossible.”

Surprisingly, Chloe found herself nodding along anyways. No, it wasn’t in anyway perfect. But it just might help her keep her job.

“I don’t know how I feel about this, but okay. We’ll go with your plan Ella.” Chloe said. “I’ll start working on the paperwork today. Tomorrow, I’ll go visit our victim again and see if he remembers anything.”

“Let me handle that Chloe. It’ll do me some good to get out of the monastery after being cooped in here for a whole week.” Ella offered. “I’ll interview the vic tomorrow morning. Go spend tomorrow with your daughter. God knows you’ve earned a break.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind if—”

“Chloe. I got this. Go home.” Ella stated confidently. “Trust me on this.”

And for once, Chloe didn’t argue. She gave Ella another quick hug as a thank you. Chloe gathered her things and then left, completely intent on heading back home to spend the rest of the night with Trixie.

* * *

 

After spending the entire past week in Lord Becket’s Infirmary for the Masses, it was good to see her daughter again. It was good to sleep in her own bed.

Chloe had originally intended to spend the morning cooking breakfast with Trixie. Mornings were always the part of day that Chloe set aside to spend time with her daughter. Even if it was just an hour before Chloe had to run to work, she loved to talk to her daughter before classes started. But with the Summer Festival in full swing, Trixie had the day off. That meant that Chloe could spend the entire day with her daughter.

Even as Trixie stumbled out of her room yawning, her hair still a mess from tossing and turning in her sleep, she looked happy to see her mom standing in the kitchen. Chloe couldn’t help but affectionately run a hand through Trixie’s hair as the girl passed by her, which resulted in a groan from her daughter. Chloe watched as Trixie slumped into the nearby chair, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“I didn’t expect to see you up this early, Monkey.” Chloe said as she returned her attention to the eggs she was making. “Couldn’t sleep?”

From the corner of her eye she could see Trixie nod her head. “Uh huh.”

Chloe expected this. Trixie always had trouble sleeping when something exciting was supposed to happen the next day. It had happened last Summer Festival, and the one before that. Chloe just hoped that Trixie’s lack of sleep wouldn’t spoil the rest of the day for the young girl.

“So how about we head out after breakfast? They still might have fresh cakes and tarts right out of the oven if we’re fast enough.” Chloe offered. “After that we could go to the beach. Or maybe go see the street performers? We missed them last year.”

“Can we get chocolate cake?” Trixie asked, mentions of sweets definitely catching her interest.

“Not a whole cake, but definitely a slice.” Chloe said.

Trixie grinned in excitement.

Chloe finished cooking the eggs and grabbed two plates. She split the portions in half before placing one plate in front of her daughter. Chloe quickly grabbed the loaf of bread off the counter and sliced them both a piece. Trixie was quick to grab her slice of bread and buttered it up before digging into her eggs.

Chloe spent a moment to watch her daughter eat before she grabbed herself a cup of water. She sat back down and the two began to eat. During their breakfast, Chloe asked Trixie how her studies were going, and was delighted to hear tales about her and her friends, and all the mischief they got into during this past week. Chloe was less excited to hear about the mischief Trixie got into with her grandmother, who had been supposed to be watching over her.

And then, Chloe watched as Trixie’s mood suddenly changed. She looked up from her breakfast and set her fork down.

“Mom? Is Daddy coming with us today?” Trixie finally asked. Her voice was quiet, almost as if she was afraid to ask this question.

Chloe couldn’t stop the sad frown that tugged at her lips. “I’m sorry honey. Daddy had to leave for work. He’s going to be gone for another week.”

“Oh…” And it hurt Chloe’s heart to hear how disappointed the young girl sounded.

“Don’t worry Monkey, maybe we can do something fun when he comes back. Just the 3 of us.” Chloe offered. “Does that sound alright?”

And Trixie nodded her head, and a smile lit up her face. Chloe smiled back at her daughter. But there was no stopping that thought in the back of her head; lately it’s been a constant worry, especially so late at night. How much longer could she keep making excuses for Dan? When will ‘maybe later’ be too much for Trixie to handle?

For a brief moment Chloe grew angry at Dan. But it just as quickly dissipated. At least this time it wasn’t technically Dan’s fault.

Once they finished breakfast, Chloe asked Trixie to get dressed while she cleaned up. As Chloe began to scrub at the dirty dishes, she suddenly heard an urgent knocking on their front door. Growing confused, Chloe made her way out of the kitchen and towards the entry room of the old house. The knocking was growing louder, and Chloe could just barely hear someone muttering under their breath.

When Chloe opened the door, she came face to face with Ella Lopez. The young Hunter looked frantic, her clothing disheveled and there was a clear sheen of sweat on her forehead. She had one arm propped against the side of her home and was using it as support while she tried to catch her breath.

“Ella? What are you doing here?” Chloe asked, surprised to see the young Hunter standing on her doorstep.

“Chloe. He’s gone.” Ella said, still breathless. But she didn’t stop to catch her breath; instead she only shook her head and continued. “The victim. He fled the infirmary.”

* * *

 

_Last Night…_

The next time he woke up, he instantly realized that he was alone.

The woman from before. Miss Chloe Decker. She had left.

For a moment, he wondered if she had just left the room to go fetch something. But the longer he waited for her to return, he realized that this wouldn’t be the case. He couldn’t help but feel slightly hurt. She was the only person he really remembered, even if he had only known her for a couple minutes.

He must have scared her off or something. He remembered how their last conversation had ended.

He had not reacted well to the information she gave him. But would anyone really blame him? He can’t remember a damn thing about himself. Not even his own name. If anything he had the right to freak out about this.

For a moment, he closed his eyes. He tried to fall back asleep. These were problems for tomorrow, not tonight. But sleep wouldn’t come to him. He was restless, fidgeting in place. Soon enough he was just lying in bed, eyes wide open looking up at the details of the room’s ceiling. He traced the spider like cracks in the stone as it ran from the corner by the door and spread out to the windows beside his bed.

It was night out. The fire from earlier had been put out. The only light was the full moon that was shining through the open windows. A soft breeze pulled at the curtains. He watched as the curtains danced around his head.

… He was going crazy in here…

… Alright. He had to leave.

Well, fortunately whatever those healers did to him, he felt _much_ better. The pain in his back was almost completely gone. If anything it was just a little sore, as if he had pulled a muscle back there. The searing headache he had felt earlier today was gone as well. His throat felt fine. Maybe a little bit dry, but nothing that a little water couldn’t help.

He looked to the night stand, and he spotted the same cup and silver pitcher from earlier. He carefully reached over and poured himself some water, testing to see if there was any unexpected strain on his body. But as he brought the cup to his lips and gulped down the water, he was happily surprised that he felt right as rain.

Well. No sense staying here if he was all healed up.

There just seemed to be one small problem with leaving, however.

He was naked.

No matter. He just had to find some clothes. There had to be some lying around here somewhere. This was an infirmary; they had to have spare clothes for emergencies.

With that thought in mind, he finally pulled the covers off of his frame. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The stone floor felt nice and cool against his bare feet. He enjoyed the sensation before making a mental note to also find shoes. Before he left the room, he took one last sip of water.

He poked his head out of the door, looking both ways down the hall. The hall looked practically abandoned. There must not have been that many people working on the night shift. To the left he heard a woman’s voice off in the distance, and then he could see the faint flicker of candle light. He closed the door and started to make his way towards the voice. Perhaps they could give him some clothes.

As he approached, he found a young woman dressed in healer robes. She was holding a candlestick in one hand. She was carefully opening doors to other rooms, checking to see if other patients were sleeping. She hadn’t noticed him right away, but when she did, she let out a short shout and almost dropped the candle.

“Pardon me! You gave me quite a scare.” The young woman said. She was pointedly averting her eyes away from his naked frame. It may have been a trick of the light, but was that a dark blush on the woman’s cheeks? “What are you doing out of bed?”

“Afraid I couldn’t sleep, darling.” He said with a smile. “I woke up feeling right as rain. And if I must be honest, I’d like to go out and stretch my legs. Do you, by chance, know where I can find some clothes?”

“Uh… yes. I believe that there’s some spare— wait. You shouldn’t be out of bed in the first place!” The woman said.

She seemed to find some sort of confidence, as she finally turned to face him directly. She reached out to grab his wrist. For a moment, he let her do as she pleased, confused and almost interested in what she would do. However, once he realized that she was leading him back down the hallway he had come from, he frowned.

“Wait no. I just came from there.” He said, stopping in place. The woman almost was whiplashed, as if she hadn’t expected his strength. “I don’t want to go back.”

“It’s the master healer’s orders: no patients are allowed out of their rooms past curfew.” The woman explained. She then sneaked a look down below, and the blush on her cheeks grew in intensity. “Especially when they’re running around with their privates out on display for the world to see.”

“Well that’s why I came looking for someone. I’d like some trousers before I leave.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t just leave. Before we can discharge you, we’d have to do a thorough check to see if you’re completely healed, as well as go over paperwork.”

“I’ve already told you! I feel perfectly normal. Whatever you healers did, it worked like magic.” He tried to explain.

Still, the woman did not budge.

Okay. It looks like he needed to try a different tactic.

He gave the young healer the most charming smile he could muster. Immediately it seemed to do the trick, for the healer was immediately drawn to his gaze. It worked so fast that it caught him by surprise. Her face was completely red now, but there was a dark spark in her own eyes. Her grip on his wrist loosened; now it was more like a delicate touch.

“How about we do this? A favor for a favor.” He started, keeping his voice low. He leaned forward towards her ear. He could hear her stop to hold her breath. “If you can find me some clothes, _and_ let me leave this place… I’ll let you perform a thorough check all of your own. Back in my room, even. We both get what we want. And technically you won’t be breaking any rules.”

He took a step back, allowing her space to come to a decision. However, it seemed like she didn’t need time to think at all. From the look on her face, he could tell that she wanted it. Her eyes once again dropped down to his uncovered crotch, and her gaze lingered there. She squeezed his hand. She was looking at him with a hunger that while he didn’t quite remember, but one he definitely recognized.

“We’ll have to be quick and quiet.” She whispered.

“Darling. If there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that I’m never quick.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is interest in what the general look and feel of this world is, I tend to imagine it based off of the concept artworks from the Dishonored series. I picture it as a gloomy world that is post Renaissance but hasn't quite made it to a fully realized Industrial era. So like, pseudo-medieval fantasy/~1800's-ish? 
> 
> I especially picture people wearing clothes in a similar style to that of npcs from Dishonored, but I also want to keep clothing vague as much as possible so that y'all can have your own version of it.


	3. An Odd Case, Indeed: III

 

Hours later, he was finally free from that damnable place. The clothes the woman got for him fit rather loosely on his frame; they were probably meant for a man twice his size, or one with a large enough pot belly. But at least he wasn’t walking around stark naked anymore.

As he left the infirmary, he was greeted by cool, refreshing air. It must be still early enough in the morning that the heat hasn’t built up yet. The sky itself was a mirage of light blues and pink pastels. He felt a soft breeze playing with his hair, and the strands tickled the nape of his neck. The cool wind was sweeping off of the nearby ocean, rolling over the land. He could just barely hear the waves crashing in the distance. It called out to him, and he had the sudden urge to visit the shore.

Well, that had been where Miss Decker found him. Perhaps visiting the scene of the crime would help jumpstart his memories.

It was only a short walk from the infirmary to the shore. As he stepped off of the cobblestone road and onto the sandy beach, he was met with an endless expanse of white sand. Footsteps from the past night had made the surface uneven, like miniature rolling hills. Right by the water’s edge stood a small flock of seagulls. Other than the birds, there didn’t seem to be anyone else here; it was still too early in the morning for beach goers. He took off his shoes and allowed himself to enjoy the feeling of soft, cool sand on the bottom of his feet.

He walked down the beach for about an hour, enjoying the feeling of the ocean’s breeze against his face. With the beach practically deserted, it felt like he had the privacy to take his time.

He then approached the water’s edge, which spooked a flock seagulls. They cried out as they took to the air, and he briefly paused to watch as they fluttered down the beach a ways before landing again. He stood there as the waves began to lick at his feet. He couldn’t help but imagine himself here a week ago, gasping for air and gripped with exhaustion. How strange it was, that water could feel so comforting after it had nearly killed him.

He stood there and waited. He waited for anything that would be familiar enough to spark something in the back of his mind.

He waited there long enough, waiting for something to happen, that he could eventually feel the warmth of the sun on his back as it rose over the city’s rooftops. Other people were starting to arrive at the beach. Their voices were barely audible over the call of the wind. However, he could see groups of friends and families when he turned around. The city was finally beginning to wake up.

He turned away again and stared out towards the horizon. Somewhere out there were answers to what happened to him. Too bad the ocean couldn’t speak back to him.

“Come on. Show me something.” He whispered to the wind. He didn’t know if he was bargaining to himself, or begging some higher power. “Give me anything to work with here.”  

But of course nothing answered him. He let out a sigh of frustration as he rolled his eyes. This was a big waste of time. Perhaps he should have just gone looking for Miss Decker instead.

He turned around and started walking his way back towards the city. However, he stopped when he felt something incredibly hot on the sole of his foot. It was hot enough to burn, and he let out a gasp of pain as he instinctively shot his left foot up to get away from the contact. It felt like something had bit him. He grabbed at his foot and rubbed it with his thumbs, trying to soothe it. He hopped around on one foot in a way that was entirely unbecoming for someone his age.

His attention turned to the sand. And what he saw surprised him.

Sticking out of the white sand was a coin. It seemed to glow bright orange for a moment, looking as hot as iron straight out of a smithy. But when he blinked, the glow disappeared. Strange, maybe he had just been imagining it. He bent down and plucked the coin up, and he was surprised to find that it felt cool to his touch. He held it in the palm of his hand, and almost dropped it again when the coin started to float magically. It hovered above his palm by a few inches. Huh, it was enchanted.

He studied the inscriptions on the coin. One side had a figure crucified, surrounded by a triangle. Above, the words _In God We Trust_. The other side was that of a head of a goat surrounded by a star. _In God We’re Damned._ There were other words on both sides, but for some reason he was unable to read them. If he stared for long enough, it looked like the letters were physically changing, shifting between unintelligible shapes. However, both sides shared the same inscription at the bottom of the coin. And he could read this clear as day.

“Morningstar.” He said out loud, his voice just above a whisper.

And as he read that last word, he felt a wave of heat surge from the coin. But this time it felt comforting, as if it had accepted him. For a moment, it felt like the world slowed down to a crawl, time completely stopping. The world went completely grayscale around him, as if color had been sucked away. There was a rushing sound in his ears, and it took him a moment to realize that that was his heartbeat. It was thrumming in his chest like a drum.

He felt like he was standing on the precipice of something. Something that left him shaking with dread.

And then there was a voice in his head; it sounded much like his own. Except there was power behind its words. Something deep and unknown. So much that he doubted that it was his voice at all. As it spoke, it sent him shuddering in fear.

_“Lucifer Morningstar._ ”

And just as quickly, the world returned to normal. Color returned to the sky above, the ocean started moving again. There was the cry of a seagull off in the distance. And the coin in his hand felt cold again. In that moment he knew that whoever he was before, this coin belonged to him. He tightened the grip on the coin before placing it in his pocket.

And then he looked up to the sky. Whatever had just happened, it proved that something out there had been listening to him, and had actually bothered to answer him.

“ Lucifer Morningstar. Sounds like a fine name, indeed.” He said with a smile.

* * *

 

Chloe spent most of that morning in Lord Becket’s Infirmary for the Masses, interviewing the staff there. Somehow her victim managed to flee one of the most prestigious institutes without anyone noticing. Something about that didn’t sit right with Chloe; he must have gotten help from someone. But to her chagrin, everyone there was unusually tight lipped.

Probably because they didn’t want to damage their reputation any further. As the first patient to escape their care, they probably wanted to keep it like that.

And unfortunately, Healer Bradshaw had decided to be her largest opponent.

“As I’ve said before, Miss Decker, we are not at liberty to say.” Healer Bradshaw insisted for what was the 4th time this conversation. Chloe could see the annoyance that tugged at the man’s lips, and she knew she wore an identical expression herself. “If you truly want to find your victim, _our patient_ , then you’re time is wasted here. You and your team ought to be out there looking for him.”

“Los Angeles is a big city, Healer Bradshaw. A manhunt conducted by two people would take weeks to complete. However, if you willingly share with us information that I _know_ you’re withholding, it can help us narrow down our search.” Chloe explained; any civility in her voice was completely gone. There was nothing but steel now. “Weeks can turn into hours with your help.”

At this, Healer Bradshaw’s face turned beet red. “In accordance with this institution’s policy, I cannot—”

“Disclose personal information. I know.” Chloe interrupted him. Her patience was wearing thin.

Chloe briefly glanced to her left. Just out of the corner of her eye she could see Trixie sitting down on a bench. Beside her daughter sat Ella, who after doing her half of the interviews was doing her best to keep the child distracted. At least right now it seemed to be working. Promised desserts could only keep her daughter occupied for so long, and Chloe knew that time was running out.

Damn it. Damn her victim. This was supposed to be her day out with her daughter!

Chloe scowled at Healer Bradshaw, hoping that he could see just how furious she was with him. She snapped her words at him. “Listen, if you don’t help me, I’ll get the City Guards involved.” This was a complete bluff. The last thing Chloe wanted to do was get the City Guard involved in _her_ investigation. “Or perhaps I should contact Lord Becket? I’m sure the Lord will be _very_ interested to hear how the Master Healer of his institution managed to lose a patient that was, last time I checked, on death’s door.”

Healer Bradshaw paled at the mention of Lord Becket. Still, the man stood in defiance. “Your threats are hollow, Hunter. The Lord will not be bothered by someone as trivial as you.”

“Someone trivial, huh?” Chloe said, now annoyed more than anything. Great, now she had to pull the family card; something she had been hoping to avoid. But she was too impatient at the moment to care.

“I hope you remember my last name is Decker. As in _the_ Penelope Decker.” She paused, but only to watch as Healer Bradshaw squirmed in his shoes. She smirked, knowing he knew exactly what she was talking about. “I have connections in high places. I’m sure that if I asked, Lord Becket would be here before noon.”

Almost instantly, Healer Bradshaw changed his tune. “Now now, let’s not do anything too rash, my Lady.”

“I’m not a Lady. I’m a Hunter. A Hunter who is looking for the patient that you lost.” Chloe said with a shake of her head. “Tell me what I want to know, and I’ll get out of your hair.”

One long, painstaking moment passed as Healer Bradshaw mentally weighed the pros and cons of cooperating. And finally, the old man sighed with a reluctant shake of his head. He turned around and pointed towards one of the younger healers that were standing further down the hall.

“Maven. Please come here, child. Hunter Decker would like a word with you.” Healer Bradshaw ordered, albeit he still sounded very reluctant to do so.

Chloe kept her eyes on the apprentice healer, Maven, as she approached. There was fear, clear and present on her face. Any color in her face was gone by the time she approached the two of them. And Maven was pointedly avoiding eye contact with Chloe. Instead, she kept her eyes on Healer Bradshaw, a desperate attempt of a silent plea for help.

“Healer Bradshaw, leave us for a moment.” Chloe ordered.

Once Healer Bradshaw was out of earshot, Chloe turned her attention back to Maven. “Listen. I’m not here to get you in trouble. My only priority is finding the man that fled here last night. If there’s anything you can tell me about what happened, I’ll make sure it stays between you and me.”

“… How do I know that you’ll keep your word?” Maven finally spoke up, her voice soft. The young woman was eyeing the notepad that Chloe was holding. Instantly Chloe pocketed the notepad, hoping that just that simple action would show that Chloe intended to live up to her end of the bargain. Thankfully, it seemed to do the trick. “Okay… yeah. I ran into your victim when I was doing my late night check-ins.”

“And instead of helping a severely injured man back into bed, you let him waltz out of the institution?” Chloe guessed, and she couldn’t quite hide the little bit of incredulity that entered her voice.

But Maven just shook her head. “No ma’am. He wasn’t injured at all!”

Chloe frowned at that. “I saw him yesterday afternoon. He could barely hold his head up without help, let alone speak.”

“Are you sure we’re talking about the same man?” Maven asked. “The man who approached me last night was completely healthy. I did a thorough check just to make sure. I might be young, ma’am, but I wouldn’t have let him go if I didn’t think he was completely healed.”

That didn’t sound right at all. Chloe was growing aggravated again. This better not be some kind of trick Healer Bradshaw was pulling.

Chloe then asked. “Just to make sure that we _are_ talking about the same man here. Did this man that you helped, did he have 2 big open wounds on his back?”

Maven shook her head, and for a moment, Chloe felt some kind of relief. “No ma’am. Not wounds. But he did have huge scars.”

“How big would you say these… scars were?”

“Umm, about a foot in length, maybe 2 inches wide?”

Chloe still couldn’t believe it. “Did he have a ring? With a black gem?”

“Yeah.”

Yep. Definitely their guy. Chloe let out a frustrated sigh as the stress of the situation got to her again. This case was going to make her grey before she was 40. Chloe was quick to ask the woman more questions that would be relevant to the case. She asked her what he had been wearing, what time had he left by, and if he had mentioned any place he would have gone in particular? There wasn’t much she had gotten out of Maven, but it was a start.

“Thanks for your help, Maven. I’ll make sure to leave you unnamed in my report. You have my word.” Chloe said. “But before I let you go, is there anything else I should know about?”

And for a moment, Maven looked absolutely guilty. That interested Chloe, but before she could press the girl for more information, Maven spoke out loud.

“I slept with him.”

“You— you slept with him!?” Chloe repeated, shocked.

“Yes. I know, I shouldn’t have done it! It’s against policy and if Healer Bradshaw hears about this, I’ll be fired.” Maven explained, looking on the verge of tears. “But he was just so _charming_. I couldn’t say no to him. Please don’t tell anyone, please ma’am.”

“It’s okay. I won’t. I gave you my word. Just… please don’t sleep with anymore patients. Alright?”

“Yes! You have my word, ma’am. Never again!”

Chloe let Healer Maven return to her duties. Chloe went over to Ella and Trixie. Ella stood up as she saw her approach, and she patiently waited for good news. Trixie let her eyes wander between the two Hunters, visibly interested in their work.

“Our victim fled about 5 hours ago.” Chloe started, crossing her arms as she spoke. “He’s wearing a green tunic with silver threaded trim around the neck and sleeves. It’s way too big on him. An old, ratty jacket over that. And a simple leather strap for a belt. Black pants.”

“Any idea where he went?” Ella asked.

Chloe shook her head. “Nope. Not at all. But do you want to know the strangest part? He’s completely healed.” When Ella gave her a skeptical look, Chloe found herself returning it. “I know it sounds crazy, but from what I’ve gathered it’s true.”

“That’s insane, Decker.” Ella muttered. “Do you think he’s got some Troll’s blood in him?”

“I doubt it. He would have healed a lot faster if he did. But let’s worry about that _after_ we find him.”

Ella nodded in agreement. As Ella began to pack up their equipment, Chloe turned to her daughter. She kneeled before her and took Trixie’s hands into hers.

“I’m so sorry, Monkey. This was supposed to be our day together.” Chloe started. “After Ella and I find this guy, I promise we can stop working and actually enjoy the festival. I just need you to be patient a little longer. Can you do that for me?”

After a moment of thinking, Trixie nodded her head. She put on that brave face Chloe knew too well. Chloe smiled in encouragement before she ruffled the young girl’s hair affectionately.

“You’re the best daughter a mother could ever ask for, you know that.” Chloe said kindly.

The three left the Infirmary soon after that. As soon as they stepped out of the building, they found themselves surrounded in the Summer Festival. The streets were absolutely crowded, and the cacophony of voices made it hard to concentrate. Chloe made sure that she had a hold on Trixie. This would be a horrible time to lose her daughter while they pressed through the throngs of people. It didn’t help when there was the sound of music growing ever closer.

As soon as Chloe spotted a small alleyway that was vacant, she led the small group there. She pushed against the crowd, easily earning her rough and crude comments from those who had already been drinking since the celebration’s beginning. Chloe couldn’t help but glare at them in response. By the time that they reached the alleyway, Chloe was feeling more than a little annoyed. Ella looked a little overwhelmed, and it looked like in their mad dash to some privacy someone had spilled something on her. And it suspiciously smelled like ale.

“There’s no way we can find our guy if the whole city is like this.” Chloe stated, almost shouting over the roar of the crowd’s cheers and the ever growing music. They had barely travelled 4 blocks from the infirmary.

“Maybe we should get in contact with the City Guard?” Ella offered. “They might be able to help us.”

“During this? I don’t think so. They’ll probably have their hands full with drunks.” Chloe said with a shake of her head.

“So what’s the plan, Decker?” Ella shouted over the noise.

Ella turned back to the main street, motioning towards the crowd. It seemed like most of the people had parted from the center of the road, for it looked like a wandering band of minstrels were making their way through. There was a parade that was passing through. Chloe could barely see what was happening through the open spots of people’s heads. Chloe felt a tug against her sleeve, and she looked down Trixie gazing up at her expectantly. Without further adieu Chloe bent down and picked her young daughter up and put her on her shoulders. Chloe groaned; Trixie was getting too old and big to do this. But Chloe felt guilty for the horrible start to the day, and if this helped make this up to her daughter, she’ll take the neck and shoulder pain she’ll get later tonight.

The band’s lively music happened to be a tune that Chloe recognized, as well as the crowd too. It sounded like everyone in the surrounding block began to sing in union, and she even joined herself despite the situation. So was Ella beside her. Chloe glanced up and could barely see that Trixie was wearing a large grin on her face.

And Ella smiled as she finally continued. “Should we wait here for a bit? Maybe our guy will just wander around. Maybe we’ll end up lucky and bump into him.”

As the band finally passed, the music changed to drum beats as another group started to press by. Chloe watched as it was soon followed by a troop of dancers. There were groups of men and women dressed in bright colorful clothing. Pinks, blues, and yellows. They wore baggy pants that rested low against their hips, exposing their midriff. While the men were bare-chested, the women’s chests were only covered with a small piece of cloth. Each dancer had a long strip of fabric tied around their wrists that reached down to their knees. As they twirled around one another in pairs, Chloe was enthralled as the fabrics twisted and around, floating around the air like magic.

And that earned the younger Hunter a laugh. “Ha! Like that’ll… ever… happen…”

And at the end of the dance group, there was one figure that stood out like a sore thumb. He was not wearing the same outfit as the other dancers, and while he looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself, his own skills in dancing were lackluster compared to those around him. He was dancing with a lovely lady as a partner, and she looked like she was completely enthralled by his attention to her.

But Chloe recognized the man. She dropped her smile almost immediately.

“… oh you’ve got to be kidding me!”

* * *

 

Lucifer didn’t quite know how he got roped into the parade. After he left the beach, he allowed himself to be completely overwhelmed with the happenings of Los Angeles. All he knew was that there was a celebration, and that this is where he wanted to be. After seemingly escaping death, why not enjoy life for a bit?

Well, 4 hours and several drinks later (had he even paid for his drinks? He couldn’t remember), Lucifer didn’t know where he was or what was going on. All that he did know was that there was a very lovely woman that had caught his eye. And that she had been just as enraptured as him. Now the two were locked together, hands clasped as they danced among the streets of the city.

There were eyes on them, he knew it. Lucifer found that he quite liked being the center of attention. There was something about it that made his chest feel light. And the woman, a professional dancer of some sort, the way her fingers gripped his, it brought a smile to his face. Her eyes were a delicious shade of green. Lucifer couldn’t wait until he could find them a small enclosed space. Just the two of them alone…

Any and all thoughts were interrupted when he caught movement from the corner of his eye. Lucifer turned just in time to see people shoved aside roughly. Over the drumbeats he could barely hear people shout in anger. Lucifer paused in their dance, his hands still clasping his partner, as he searched for whoever was disturbing the festivities. And he was quite surprised to find that it was Miss Decker, the woman he had met yesterday.

Behind her was another woman, who looked completely surprised by the turn of events. Lucifer didn’t recognize her, but he was smart enough to understand that she seemed to be with Decker. Both women were dressed in the same style and cut blue coats that Miss Decker had worn yesterday. And Lucifer noticed that the two were clearly and visibly armed, a detail he had missed in his confused state yesterday. Both women carried swords of different styles, and both also sported a dagger that seemed to be strapped to their legs.

But what did surprise Lucifer was the young child that was tagging along both women, her hand gripping Decker’s sleeve tightly. The girl was practically skipping across the cobblestone to keep up with the longer strides of the older women.

Decker was coming straight for him. She paid the parade no mind as she stomped over to him. And despite the furious expression she wore, Lucifer couldn’t help but smile.

“What are you doing?!” Decker asked, her voice was thick with annoyance.

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m enjoying the festivities!” Lucifer answered with a broad wave of his hand towards the parade that they were now standing in the middle of. He then embraced his dance partner and then turned to introduce her. “This is Jade! She said that it would be a complete pleasure if I participated in the parade with her.”  

Jade let out a giggle in response. “A friend of Lucifer’s is a friend of mine.”

Decker frowned in confusion. “Lucifer? You remember your name?”

“Ah, yes. It came to me when I visited the beach you found me on.” Lucifer said with a nod. He gave Jade one last kiss on her forehead before whispering in her ear. “Come find me later tonight, where we first met.”

And then he sent the dancer on her way. Jade only gave him a wink as she skipped back to her dance troop. Lucifer then turned his attention back to Decker, giving her a pleased grin, to which she only responded with a glare. Lucifer quickly glanced at the woman’s companions; the other woman still looked completely speechless, while the child looked entertained by today’s antics.

Unfazed by Decker’s expression, Lucifer gave her a charming smile before offering his right hand. “Care to join me for a dance, Miss Decker?”

Decker meant to grab his hand and pull him away from the crowds, but she hadn’t expected his strength. He took it in stride and brought his other hand to her waist and led them into a fast-paced dance. Decker let out a small squawk in surprise, which only made Lucifer’s playful grin grow. As he twirled her around, Lucifer caught the small flush of red that was in her cheeks. Her hand tightened her hold on him, either from embarrassment or from the sudden shock.

For a moment, they were lost in the dance. It appeared that Decker didn’t know how to dance, yet for Lucifer his footwork was sloppy but correct. He must have learned how to dance sometime before, but apparently he hadn’t done so in a long while. Decker quickly collected her thoughts and tried to pull away from him. But Lucifer wasn’t quite ready to end the moment and pulled her back with a twirl. This was rewarded by a small laugh by the child.

“In case you’ve forgotten, you were almost killed a week ago. Did that slip your mind?” Decker said, her voice low and serious. Her eyes were pointedly avoiding his.

“Not in the least, Miss Decker. A lot of things have slipped my mind, but certainly not that.” Lucifer said. He then put the woman in a dip, and the action caused her to finally lock eyes with him. They were a beautiful shade of blue that left Lucifer almost speechless. He pulled her up and then set her into another spin. “I’m simply… enjoying a second chance of life.”

“So you thought it was a good idea to leave the infirmary without telling anyone?” Decker accused.

“Nonsense! I told that fine nurse that I was ready to leave. Maven was her name, I believe.” Lucifer explained.

“You were on death’s door yesterday. What the hell happened?” She continued to press.

And Lucifer shrugged in response. “I got better. Wasn’t that the point of me being there?”

“Well yes, but—”

“And now that I am better, maybe I can help you on your investigation.” Lucifer retorted.

“Us dancing together is not helping the investigation.” Decker stated. “So if you can stop, I’d greatly appreciate it.”

Decker pulled away from him again. Lucifer let out a loud sigh as if to say _well you’re no fun_ , and he finally released his hold on the woman. Decker walked away from him and she tried her best to collect herself. Lucifer watched her for a moment before turning his attention to her two companions. He kept his gaze on the one woman who was still eying him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

“I don’t believe we’ve met. Lucifer Morningstar.” He said, sticking his hand for a shake. “And you are?”

“Ella. Ella Lopez. A Hunter from the Watch.” She answered, her hand slowly accepting his. “No, seriously. How did you get better so fast? I was there when we found you.”

“I haven’t the faintest clue.” Lucifer answered with a playful grin.

“Dude, I was the one that looked over your body. I could’ve sworn you were dead.” Ella said with a shake of her head, still full of disbelief.

“Well it’s a good thing I’m not, right?” Lucifer’s attention then shifted on the small child that stood next to Ella. She was looking up at him with bright eyes and a crooked smile. Lucifer stared at the girl awkwardly, not knowing what he should exactly do. “Umm, hello strange little— _oof._ ”

And then the little child had her arms wrapped around his mid section. Out of instinct, Lucifer pulled up his arms defensively. What in the world was this girl doing? He looked to Ella, confused and silently begging for help. But he only found Ella trying but failing to suppress a laugh. The young girl turned her head upwards to look at him.

“You seem really nice. Are you friends with my mom?” She asked, lisping her words due to a couple missed teeth.

“Your mother?” Lucifer asked, dumbfounded.

At this point, Decker returned to the conversation. “Trixie, let go of Lucifer.”

The young girl did as she was asked. Lucifer watched, completely curious as Decker bent down to be eye level with the young girl. She grabbed the girl’s hands and gave them a little squeeze.

“I’m helping Lucifer with a case, but he’s still a strange man. Remember, we don’t go around hugging strangers.” Decker said.

“I’m sorry, mom.” The girl, Trixie, apologized.

“I forgive you, Monkey. Just don’t go around hugging strangers for me, okay?”

Trixie nodded and Decker finally let go of her hands. Still, when Decker turned to the rest of this small group, Lucifer watched as the young girl slipped her hand into Decker’s. Trixie eyed Lucifer again before dropping her gaze. However, Lucifer’s attention was on Decker. Decker noticed him eyeing her, and she frowned.

“What?” She finally asked.

“You’re a mother.” Lucifer stated, raising his eyebrows as he did so.

“…Yeah?”

“I didn’t expect you to be one.”

“Well, you’ve only known me for 10 minutes. There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Lucifer.” Decker sharply answered him. She let out a short sigh as she looked around their surroundings. And then she turned to Ella before giving Lucifer one last, brief glance. “Let’s head back to headquarters and figure out what we do from here.” She turned to Lucifer and pointed at him. “You’re coming with us. If you leave my side for one second—”

“My darling, I wouldn’t dream of it.” Lucifer interrupted with a charming smile.

Decker rolled her eyes before walking away from the street, expecting everyone to follow her. Lucifer spared Ella a glance before he did so, not falling more than a couple feet behind her. It didn’t take long for Decker to notice how close he kept to her, and she sighed in frustration. Perhaps she should have chosen her words more carefully.

 


	4. An Odd Case, Indeed: IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be delayed for a week, since I've been hit by inspiration for another Lucifer story. This one should be shorter, and updates for The Monsters Within Us will resume on Sunday, March 31st 2019.

 

It took a long while to reach their destination. With all the happenings during the festival, including rough crowds and pesky street vendors, the journey took almost an hour. By the time Decker led Lucifer and the others to a large building complex that she referred to as “headquarters”, the day’s heat was finally starting to rise to an unbearable level. Fortunately this headquarters of theirs seemed to be well shaded, and it provided much needed relief. 

Now Lucifer found himself in a grand library, fidgeting in his seat while Miss Decker and Ella spoke to themselves in low voices. He had been left to his own devices while they spoke about their game plan. And that had been the quickest way to make him bored. For the first ten minutes of waiting, Lucifer resulted to take a gander at the books on the shelves, fingering through them to read their titles.

There was _The Complete History of Dragon Pox, Siren Hunting During the 4 th Era: Part III, _and one of Lucifer’s personal favorites so far by title alone, _The Five Signs You Carry Lycanthropy_. Of course, Lucifer could already guess that the biggest clue would be if you remembered what happened during a night of a full moon. Lucifer had gone to thumb through more books, but was stopped by Decker when he began to annoy some of the other Hunters.

And then she had reprimanded him. It annoyed him slightly, to be treated as if he was a child. Now he had been commanded to sit down and to wait for the women to be ready. Which had been the same order that Decker’s offspring was given. The young girl was sharing the same bench with Lucifer. Due to her small stature, her feet didn’t quite reach the ground, and she was swinging her legs while she stared off in the distance. With nothing else to occupy his time, Lucifer stared at the girl. He tried his best to see the relation.

Apparently he had been staring for too long, for the offspring noticed and turned to him. Lucifer immediately did his best to act nonchalantly, as if he hadn’t been staring at her. But from the corner of his eye, he could see her knowing smirk and he knew he had been caught red handed.

If only Decker and Miss Lopez finished their conversation soon.

“You’re kinda weird. You know that, right?” The offspring said.

Immediately Lucifer turned to the girl and frowned. “I am not weird.”

And she smiled in response. She chuckled as she retorted. “Yeah you are.”

“… How exactly am I weird?”

Trixie shrugged. “Your name is funny. Why is your last name Morningstar?”

Oh, how it pained him that he couldn’t give the child a witty response. “I don’t remember.”

 She tilted her head. “Why not?”

Lucifer huffed as he frowned, crossing his arms. “It seems I got into an accident a week ago. Can’t really remember anything, if I must be honest.”

“Oh…” And there was pity on the child’s face.

Lucifer didn’t know if he wanted the girl’s pity. Something about seeing it unsettled him.

“Hey. Don’t worry.” Trixie said. And she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Lucifer made a move to take her sticky hands off of him, but stopped when he realized she was looking up at him with sparkling eyes. She gave him another tooth gap grin. “My mom is awesome. She’ll help you find whoever did this.”

Trixie dropped her hand from his shoulder and then her attention shifted back down to her feet. She began swinging them again absentmindedly. Lucifer’s own gaze was elsewhere. Somehow what the young child said was reassuring enough in of itself. Even after only meeting Decker yesterday, he trusted his judgment enough to respect her.  He wanted to trust her. And to see such a little girl have so much faith in her mother, Lucifer wanted to believe in her.

And after that brief pause of conversation, Lucifer turned toward her again. “Is Miss Decker truly your mother?”

“Yeah?” The girl said, her answer sounding more like she was questioning his intelligence.

“Really? Because you don’t have…” And Lucifer pointed to his own ears, motioning to them in a jagged pattern. When this only earned him a confused look, he sighed and dropped his hand to his lap. “You don’t have her ears. Were you adopted?”

“Oh. I got points, but they’re not really noticeable. See?”

And the offspring presented her right ear to Lucifer, highlighting a small protrusion in the curvature of her ear. Lucifer couldn’t have seen it without a closer inspection, and anyone that was further than a few feet away wouldn’t have noticed it either. But the young child was right.

“Mom’s only half of a Half Elf, and I’m half of that.” She explained. “Mom said my points might grow more when I get older, but probably not.”

“Huh.”

“Do you have any points, Mr. Lucifer?” Trixie then asked.

Instinctively, Lucifer raised his hand to his head. He pushed away the restless curls and felt along the rim of his ear, only to feel a smooth curved surface. Just to make sure, Lucifer felt the other, and was unsurprised that it felt the same.

“Nope. I’m completely human.” Lucifer said with a shake of his head. “Human as the day I was born.”

That seemed to be enough of an answer for the girl, and her attention finally shifted away from him. And it appeared to be just in time too, for Decker was approaching the two of them. Lucifer stood up straighter and gave her a smile. She silently motioned for him to come over to her and headed back towards where Miss Lopez was stationed at. Lucifer immediately hopped up and headed over, only sparing a moment to turn back towards Trixie to give her a quick salute.

As Lucifer turned the corner, he found the two Hunters bent over a desk. Ella was hurriedly scribbling down notes while Decker spoke low, reading out loud the book she was holding in her hands. When Decker finally noticed Lucifer, she set the book down and reached out towards him.

“I need to see your hands.” She demanded.

“Well this is sending rather mixed signal, my dear.” Lucifer joked, wearing a sly smile as he did so. “Just an hour ago you were refusing to dance, and now you want to hold hands.”

“Lucifer.” Decker said in a warning tone.

Wordlessly, Lucifer did as he was commanded and held out his hands for the woman. Decker grabbed his wrists and pulled his hands towards the nearby candlelight. She inspected them carefully, twisting his hands to see his palms and fingers between the shadows. Lucifer remained silent as she then ran two fingers over the skin softly. And then he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“You know, I understand if you were feeling a bit rushed before. Asking you to dance in the spotlight, it was rather rude of me to spring it up on you.” Lucifer teased. “But maybe my charm has finally rubbed off on you.”

“You don’t have any calluses.” Decker stated, obviously choosing to ignore his remark. “No wrinkles or noticeable tan lines. Your hands are almost perfectly manicured too. I guess you’re not one for manual labor then?”

“Well if I was, I can’t really remember, now can I?” Lucifer stated. “Don’t mind me asking, but what does the state of my hands have to do with someone trying to kill me?”

Decker finally let go of her hold on his hands. She looked up at him and crossed her arms.

“Since you’ve lost your memory, we need to build up a profile for you from scratch. Simple things like health and the state of your body helps us determine what sort of social standing you could be from.” Decker explained. “We found you on the shore, half drowned to death. So it’s possible that you were either a sailor or a passenger on a ship. Without calluses on your hands, we can safely assume that you were a passenger.”

Ella turned her head to quickly interject her own thoughts. “Plus, with an accent like that, you’re definitely a foreign visitor. I’d say… somewhere from the Northern Isles.”

“Right, so that means we don’t have to waste our time looking to see if you have any relatives here in Los Angeles.” Decker nodded in agreement. “I’d say it’s safe to assume you came to visit for the Summer Festival. If we can find a ship that’s from the Northern Isles and its manifest, we might be able to—”

“And then we can find my attacker!” Lucifer interrupted as he connected the dots. He smiled at the prospect of finally discovering what happened to him. “Someone pushed me off the ship, intending for me to drown. Great detective work! … Maybe I should be calling you ‘Detective’ from now on?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Decker said. “It’s a possible lead. Being pushed overboard still doesn’t explain the wounds on your back.”

“Well if we find the man, I’m sure we can persuade him to tell us what happened.” Lucifer retorted. “Maybe he decided to do some good ol’ torture before trying to murder me. Maybe we should return the favor?”

Decker gave him a look that immediately told him that she was against the idea. She was about to open her mouth to say just that when the doors to the library opened. The creak of the rusted joints signaled that someone was entering the library. Any further conversation was put on hold as Ella cautiously peeked around the corner, only to turn back around and silently mouth something to Decker. Lucifer couldn’t quite catch what Ella was saying, but he definitely caught the way Decker’s face grew stone cold. The woman stood up straighter and attempted to smooth down her clothes to look more professional.

Without knowing what was going on, Lucifer turned to the only other person here. Lucifer gave Trixie a confused look, to which the child only shrugged in response. At least they were both out of the loop then.

And then came the figure Ella and Decker where expecting. It was an older man with graying dark hair. He was sporting a goatee that looked like it was in need of a trimming. There were harsh lines in the man’s face that were born from both stress and old age. The man wore a coat similar to that which Decker and Ella wore, save for it being completely black instead of dark blue. Lucifer also eyed the sword the man carried at his hip, as well as the holstered pistol. Just from gauging Ella and Decker’s reaction and the way this man held himself, Lucifer could tell that this was their superior officer.

Both Ella and Decker saluted the man by placing a closed fist over their hearts and bowing towards him. The man eyed the display of loyalty as he fished out a short tobacco pipe from his pocket. With a snap of his fingers, the man produced a small, magical flame. After a few puffs, the smell of tobacco filled the air. While Decker wrinkled her nose at the smell, Lucifer found that he longed for it.

“At ease.” The man finally spoke with a gruff voice. It sounded like he had been a lifelong smoker. He took another long puff before directing his attention solely on Decker. “Knight, give me a status update on your investigation.”

Lucifer watched as Decker gave Ella a tentative glance before she started going over details. Her words seemed hesitant, and Lucifer realized that the woman was nervous. He watched her as she spoke, more intent on watching her slipping emotions rather than the words she was speaking. Yes, Decker seemed to be nervous, as Lucifer could see that as her eyes seemed to have trouble staying on her superior. But there was a sense of aggravation as well, barely visible the way her eyebrows furrowed together.

He spared brief glance at Ella, who was doing her best to keep her head low, inspecting the stone floor’s design.

Finally, Decker’s words were starting to filter through Lucifer’s mind.

“With our current leads, it appears that if our victim was attacked by something supernatural, we’re suspecting it to be Sirens.” Decker said. “However, we haven’t necessarily ruled out attempted murder yet without further investigation.”

“You’ve had over a week to investigate, Decker. The City Guard wants this wrapped up soon, as do I. Mind telling me why you’ve been sitting here, twiddling your thumbs?” The man asked, but it was harsh. More like an accusation.

“Commander Tullis. Our victim only just woke up and recovered from his injuries.” Decker said, defending herself. “We’re in the process of interviewing him for information that could help us—”

And immediately the man, Commander Tullis, turned his attention towards Lucifer. Tullis gave Lucifer a hard stare that was probably meant to intimidate him, yet Lucifer couldn’t help but give him a half smile in return. It was meant to be charming. Lucifer wouldn’t let this man scare him into submission.

“Is this the fellow?” Commander Tullis finally asked.

He didn’t wait for an answer before walking right up to Lucifer. Lucifer had quite a few inches on the man, and for a moment it seemed that Tullis was unaccustomed to being towered over. Still, he gave Lucifer a hard look as if mentally estimating his worth. The corners of his lips turned to a frown before he turned back to Decker. And as he did so, Lucifer gave the woman his own exasperated look now that Tullis’ attention was off of him.

“Make him give his statement, and then send him on his way, Decker. You know how I feel about the unaffiliated roaming freely among the Watch’s headquarters.” Tullis said, momentarily moving his gaze over towards where Trixie was sitting.

“Of course, Commander Tullis.” Decker said with a stiff bow. “Once we’re done, I’ll show him to the door.”

“Good.” Commander Tullis stated. He opened his coat and pulled out a letter. Tullis walked towards Decker and slapped it against her chest. Lucifer watched as Decker visibly stopped herself from speaking out against her superior. Anger was threatening to boil over for Decker, but she managed remain still. That seemed to be the reaction the older man had wanted, for Lucifer caught the brief smirk he wore. “Because you’re needed elsewhere, Knight Hunter. There’s been another body. One you’ve missed.”

Decker spared a second to collect herself; her words were stiff. “Of course, Commander Tullis.”

“I expect your finished report on my desk by the end of the week, Decker.” Commander Tullis ordered.

The four of them watched as Commander Tullis finally turned away, not even bothering to wait for a proper dismissal. Lucifer kept his eyes on the man’s back as he made his way back towards the library’s main entrance. They all remained silent until Commander Tullis was gone, the heavy doors shut behind him. It remained eerily silent, tension thick in the air, for a few more seconds before it broke.

“God, I hate that man.” Ella muttered under her breath.

Lucifer couldn’t agree more. He nodded his head as he stated. “Well, he _was_ rather unpleasant.”

Decker ignored the comments as she tore at the letter, breaking the wax seal. Her eyes quickly scanned the letter’s content, silently mouthing the words as she read it. Lucifer watched as the woman frowned before she let out a tired groan. She pocketed the letter and turned to Ella.

“Great. Another body. Just what this investigation needs.” Decker groaned. “Get your equipment, Ella. Let’s try to make this quick before heading over to the harbor.”

“Now hold on. Wait. What about me?” Lucifer asked, frowning. “Are you shelving my case for someone who is dead? I’m still here, this person is not.”

Decker turned her anger towards him. “Okay. One, it’s possible that this is related to your case. And two, show some more respect Lucifer. A person is _dead_.”

“Yes, that’s my point exactly. I think my situation is a bit more of a priority right now.” Lucifer pointed out.

Decker just glared at him. Lucifer huffed out some air, realizing that he needed to approach this differently if he wanted to get his way.

“How about a compromise then, Miss Decker? Let me accompany you on this little investigation of yours. If it’s true that this might be related to my case, then I’ll help in any way I can.” Lucifer asked. “And then once this is all sorted out, we both go to the harbor and find my would-be-killer.”

“No. I can’t allow that. Not only are you a victim in this case, but you’re not part of the Hunter’s Watch.” Decker said, shaking her head. “If Commander Tullis finds out that I willingly brought you to a crime scene, he’ll have my head. And he could possibly get you arrested.”

“Aw come on, Decker. You know you want to do it.” Lucifer said, goading her slightly. “Break the rules, just this once. For me?”

“Chloe. With Dan gone, we are short one man.” Ella pointed out. “And it might help trigger his memories too.”

“You’re not helping, Ella.” Decker said with a tired sigh. She paused for a moment as she thought through the pros and cons. And finally it seemed Decker had come to a conclusion, and one that she wasn’t quite happy about. “As much as I agree that you shouldn’t come with us, I also don’t trust you enough to leave you alone.”

“So you _are_ bringing me?” Lucifer asked again, a grin starting to form on his face. “And it’s against your commanding officer’s orders to boot!”

“Don’t make me regret this, Lucifer.” Decker warned. “And don’t look too happy. We’re going to see a dead body. It’s not going to be pleasant.”

* * *

 

They left Trixie back at the Watch’s headquarters. It had been a smart idea, because no child should ever have to see this.

Decker was right; this wasn’t a pleasant experience.

Lucifer frowned as he stared at the body in front of him. His stomach threatened to turn itself over, and the stench that rolled off the body caused his eyes to water. The fresh air from wind off of the ocean could only help so much. After a few more seconds, Lucifer couldn’t help but avert his eyes. He turned to see that even Ella and Decker were also having a hard time.

The body had been discovered by a family exploring the northern corners of the beach, where the sands had changed to sharp, craggy rocks. That area of the beach was usually prohibited to the public, or so Decker told him, due to the risk of falling rocks from the cliff face. But that hadn’t deterred the vacationing family. And now they were more than likely scarred for life. Their children especially so.

 It also explained why they hadn’t found the body for an entire week.

The body was once a woman. It had long begun the decomposition process. After a week exposed to the elements and scavengers, there wasn’t much left except for a rotting mess of wet flesh. There was a form of a person there… somewhere. But truly Lucifer could only tell so from the remnants of the person’s clothing. There were the tattered remains of a dark purple dress, which had been shredded and tangled in the body’s limbs. The body’s long brown hair was a ratted nest with seaweed and algae clumped against its skull.

It didn’t escape Lucifer that this could have been his fate. That this almost was his fate.

Lucifer stood there for a moment, just taking in the body. It just kept repeating in his head: _that could have been me, that could have been me_. He barely paid attention as Ella and Decker went to work. They still had a job to do, even if it was a gruesome one.

Why had he lived, when she had died?

Ella was quiet as she worked; her full concentration was needed as she took down notes and inspected the body. Decker was busy interviewing the parents of the family that found the victim, a much more difficult task than expected. But Lucifer was stuck in place, unable to take his eyes off of the dead woman. There was nothing he could do despite this inner desire to find some sort of justice for this woman.

Lucifer was brought out of his state of shock when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped in his shoes before spotting Decker.

“Hey.” Her voice was soft, almost like she sounded concerned. “I know this is a lot to take in. You don’t have to be here if it’s too much.”

Lucifer was already shaking his head. He tried his best to make his voice sound strong. “No. I need to be here. I need to know… to know if I know her. If I remember her.”

“Okay. Just tell me if you need to get out of here.” Decker said.

And then she led Lucifer closer to the body. His footsteps felt heavy, and the crunch of the sharp rocks below his shoes sounded much too loud. As the two approached Ella and the body, the woman let out a tired sigh before standing to her feet. For a moment, the three of them just stood there, unsure of who should be the first to speak. And then Ella cleared her throat.

“It’s uh, it’s hard to say when exactly the time of death is due to the amount of decomposition. But based on when we found you Lucifer, I’d say it’s around that time frame.” Ella stated. Her expression was somber, and her voice was equally mournful. “Cause of death? My guess would be drowning.”

“Do you See anything?” Decker then asked.

Ella shook her head. “Nothing. Too much time has passed since her death. If her spirit was still around here, I doubt there’d be anything sane left to question.”

“Excuse me,” Lucifer interrupted, frowning in confusion, “her spirit?”

“Oh, yeah. I have the Sight.” Ella explained. “Well… sort of. I have a limited version of the Sight. I was never trained as a kid, so my Sight is pretty weak compared to others.”

“So you can see spirits? Dead people?” Lucifer further prodded.

Ella nodded. “Yeah, but most of the time only from people who recently died. It’s a rare gift, but it comes in handy sometimes.”

“Have you found any personal items Ella?” Decker asked, directing their attention back onto the investigation.

Ella nodded. She crouched back down, and Decker did the same. And after a moment of hesitance, Lucifer followed suit. The stench was worse when he was this close to the body. Ella carefully reached towards where the neck ought to be, and she pulled her hand back in one swift motion. In her hand was a silver chain, and it glinted against the afternoon sun. The chain was entangled with the body’s hair, and there seemed to be no hope of setting it free. After some tugging, Ella tore the chain from the body, and then she held up a silver locket for Lucifer and Decker to see.

Wordlessly Ella handed it to Decker. The other Hunter studied the locket for a moment, inspecting the delicately carved details on the locket’s surface. Lucifer peered over her shoulder. Inscribed on the surface of the locket were the words: _For my dear Adelaide_. Decker then flipped the locket over to the back side, and there was a second inscription: _J. B. W._ in fancy cursive that was surrounded in fanciful, artsy curves and loops.

Without asking, Lucifer took the locket from Decker’s hands and popped it open. Inside was a small portrait of a woman and a handsome young man. The portrait’s edges were ruined from the exposure to the water, but most of it was largely left intact. Both were wearing elegant garments fit for someone of noble or royal status. The woman had dark brown hair. Lucifer studied the woman closely before looking back down at the body before them. This must have been that woman, Lucifer was sure of it.

“Do you recognize her?” Decker asked her.

Lucifer shook his head. “Not in the slightest.”

“I hate to say this, but we might be looking for leads where there aren’t any.” Decker said, although she didn’t sound happy to admit it.

Lucifer turned to look at her. “We can’t just give up.”

“I’m not saying that. I’m just saying…” And Decker let out a tired sigh before bringing a hand up to message her temples. “That every lead we think we have, it turns out to be a dud. We’re running out of time and options.”

“That sounds like giving up.” Lucifer countered.

She shook her head as she answered him. “No, I’m not giving up. We still have to perform the autopsy. We might get more information from that. And we still found this.” Here, Decker raised the silver locket. “We got a name: Adelaide. It’s going to take some time, but I’ll ask the City Guard to ask around for a missing woman that goes by that name.”

“And during that time her killer, _my attacker_ , could be getting away.” Lucifer said, his anger starting to grow. “We can still go to the harbor, Decker!”

This seemed to be enough to get Decker to snap at him. She instantly turned on him and pointed a finger harshly into his chest. The fast movement caught him off guard and he stumbled back a half-step in surprise. Her eyes were ice cold as she glared at him. Anger and frustration radiated off of her.

“Lucifer! I am not magical! As much as I want to solve this case with a snap of my fingers,” and she paused to do just that, “I can’t.”

Decker’s voice was full of barely contained anger. And for a moment, in the back of his head, Lucifer wondered how much he had gotten on her nerves. She paused for a moment as if to recollect herself. She finally broke their shared gaze, and Lucifer found that he was able to breathe again. Still, he could see Decker scowling as she tried her best to calm down.

“Trust me when I say I want to solve this case as quickly as you do. But sometimes things don’t work out like we want them to.” Decker added, her voice much softer in volume, but there was steel in there.

For the longest moment, Lucifer could only stare at Decker. He had a strange feeling that no one had ever spoken to him like that before. And that made him feel… angry? No that wasn’t what this was. No, he felt like he was being challenged. But he didn’t feel threatened. Far from it. The closest Lucifer could get to describing it was… excitement.

But it was clear that Decker did not feel the same.

The two were left staring at each other until Ella managed to catch their attention. At first, it was Decker who had heard the other woman’s soft murmur of an expletive. Immediately, Decker’s eyes broke her gaze with Lucifer, and she squinted at Ella. Not wanting to miss what was happening, Lucifer turned around.  He did so just in time to see Ella bent over the corpse, fingers digging into its hand.

Ella had her fingers crammed into the body’s closed fist. She grunted as she exerted enough force to finally pry open the corpse’s fist. Ella then made a sound full of disgust and wiped her hands against her pants before muttering under her breath about the stench.

“What did you find, Ella?” Decker asked.

“I don’t know, but whatever it is, the victim held onto it for dear life.” She answered.

Decker bent down to inspect the object. She carefully plucked it out of the hand, dry heaving as she did so. Decker held it in the sun, and Lucifer could just barely see that whatever it was, it was made of leather. Decker studied it for a second, and then she suddenly stood up.

“Lucifer, give me your left hand.” Decker ordered.

“I can assure you, I haven’t gotten any calluses from the past hour.” He said.

“I’m being serious here. I need to check something.”

Lucifer sighed but nonetheless relented. He came towards her with his left arm extended. Immediately Decker was pushing up his sleeves, exposing his forearm. Lucifer watched as Decker placed the leather object, no it was a _leather bracer_ , around his forearm.

“Is that… skin on that? Right there, near the seams.” Lucifer asked, making a disgusted face as he did so.

“You can go wash your arm in the water when I’m done.” Was Decker’s curt reply.

Lucifer couldn’t hide the irritated sigh that left him. He decidedly stopped looking at the leather bracer that Decker was still fidgeting with. Lucifer tried his best to ignore the feeling of damp leather against his skin, but it was proving to be harder to do so when Decker tightened its straps. And when he finally felt her hands moving away, Lucifer looked down to see the leather bracer snug on his left forearm.

Lucifer held it up in the light. It was clearly a well made bracer, intended to be both a show of wealth, due to its expert craftsmanship, as well as keeping up with its primary intention: armor. The leather was masterfully treated, as it was dark in color, almost completely black. On the top of the bracer, where it almost met his elbow, was a large embroidered white, 4 pointed star. Lucifer couldn’t help but admire it.

Yet Lucifer still asked. “What was the point of this, Decker?”

“To see how well it fit you.” Decker said. “Take a look at the tan line on your arm.” She paused, waiting for Lucifer to do so. When Lucifer poked a finger between the bracer and his arm, he could indeed see that there was a noticeable tan line. “Judging on that, and on how well that fits against your arm, I’d bet that this was yours.”

“Wow, smooth catch, Chloe.” Ella added as she peered over Decker’s shoulder. Ella then looked up at Lucifer. “This is some solid evidence that proves that you knew the victim. Or, at least you two were together when she died.”

“We might have gotten enough evidence here after all.” Decker said with a nod. “Ella, take the body back to headquarters. Lucifer and I will go to the harbor and see if we can find a ship manifest with the name Adelaide or the initials JBW. Send for me if you find anything that’ll help us.”

“You got it, Decker.” Ella said with a thumbs up.

Decker was quick to grab Lucifer’s elbow and lead him away from the crime scene. As the two made their way back towards the city, Lucifer couldn’t stop the grin that was growing on his face.

“So… what were you saying about not being magical?” Lucifer couldn’t help but tease, snapping his fingers as he did so.

Decker gave Lucifer a warning look; she was still not happy with him. “Come on, let’s get to the harbor.”

 


End file.
